Ghosts of Georgia
by paradise70
Summary: A friend from the past comes back into the lives of Shane Walsh and Rick Grimes.  How will she affect their lives and emotions.  Is she just a friend or much much more.
1. Chapter 1

Fiona Cahill hid in the abandoned car, waiting for the herd of Walkers to go by, staying as still as possible to avoid attracting attention. She would never have believed that leaving Los Angeles and coming back to her home town in Georgia that she would be in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. Once the sounds had stopped, she peered out one of the windows, and upon making sure all was clear, she ran for the woods. As soon as she heard a crackling noise behind her, she realized her mistake and she took to her heels, cursing her lack of a gun. The heavy breathing and rank smell of the walker behind her made her aware that it was closing in on her. Suddenly a gunshot sounded from behind her and Fiona turned to see the Walker fall to the ground. A man dressed in a baseball cap and fatigues walked toward her with rifle raised. As he drew closer, she was shocked as recognition hit her.

"Shane? Shane Walsh?" He approached her, shading his eyes so that he could see her better. He lowered his rifle, and touched her cheek. "Fi, is that you?"

She nodded, her shoulders sagged with relief and Shane drew her into his arms. "What are you doing here? The last I had heard, you had moved to California."

"So I did. I tired of city life and wanted to come home."

Shane Walsh released her and gave a harsh laugh. "I remember that you wanted to get away, that life here was too simple for you. " He lowered his head. "I was too simple for you."

Surprised by the hurt he still obviously felt after all the time that had gone by, Fiona took his hand. "Shane, that's not true. I was the problem not you. I needed to get away and make a life for myself. I was tired of being known as the Hangman's daughter, Judge Cahill's offspring. Rick understood that but you never did."

"Rick, it was always Rick. The champion, the do-gooder."

"Shane, Rick was your best friend. He was my friend. "

"He's still my best friend. You'll see him when I take you back to camp. He has a wife and son now."

"And you, Shane? You never married?"

Taking her chin in his hand, he shook his head. "No, Fi, I never married. You would have known that had you ever written or called."

"Shane, I'm sorry. I didn't think you wanted to hear from me."

"Well, now you know." He brought his mouth down on hers in a punishing kiss, and she found herself clinging to his shoulders, as long dormant emotions swept through her. Shane's arms drew her closer to him, and the kiss deepened. When he finally released her, she felt so lightheaded that she had to hold onto his arm for support. He chuckled: "How does an ole country boy compare to one of those pansy city boys in the West."

She glared at him. "I wouldn't know as I didn't have time for anything but work. I was a social worker and worked with victims of abuse, mostly women and children. Being around that every day, didn't exactly make me want to get involved with one of those pansy city boys as you so eloquently call them."

Shane smiled crookedly. "I'm not exactly disappointed to hear that."

"I'm sure you aren't. Just as I am also sure that you haven't neglected the fairer sex. Not someone with your libido. You were never one to say no to a pretty face."

His expression grew serious and he took her hand. "We better get back to camp before we run into any more Walkers. That shot I fired is sure to attract some. "

"Ok, and Shane..." Fiona squeezed his hand. "Thanks for saving my life by the way."

"No problem." His grip on her hand tightened as he pulled her along with him. "And just so you know I never looked at another pretty face when you were around."

* * *

><p>As Shane and Fiona walked into camp, she saw a small band of survivors in little better shape than her. Shane started to introduce her to the others. Dale Horvath was an older man with a fatherly way about him. Carol Peletier was a sad looking middle aged woman, with a daughter Sophia. Andrea and Jaqui were two attractive women about her own age and among the others were three men named T-Dog, Daryl and Glenn. The group had once been bigger but they had just lost a few to a Walker attack that had happened a few days before.<p>

"Hey, Shane, what's this I hear about you firing a gun..."

Deirdre turned to see a man she had at one time considered her best friend, Rick Grimes. Like Shane, he had matured and grown handsomer over the years. A slim brunette and young boy who must be his wife and son stood at his side. Rick's face, worn from tiredness and stress, lit up when he recognized her and he enfolded her in a tight hug. "Fi, I never thought I would see you again and now you are here." Tears ran down her face as she melted into the security of his embrace. He had always made her feel safe while it was Shane who had fueled her passion. Looking over his shoulder she saw a brief uncomfortable look pass between Rick's wife and Shane. Before she could think any more about it, Rick let her go and called his wife and son over. "Fi, this is my wife Lori, and son Carl."

Lori walked up to Fiona and gave her a hug. "Rick has spoken of you. I'm so happy to meet you."

"Same here. It's good to meet the woman who captured the heart of my old friend." She bent down to shake Carl's hand. "You look a lot like your dad when he was your age." Carl smiled and gave her a quick peck on the cheek."

"Well, I think Fiona is probably hungry, so we women are going to get her something to eat and something clean to wear while you men figure out where we are going next." Rick and Shane stood aside and watched the two women walk off together.

"Shane, I guess I know now what the gunshot was about. Were there any other Walkers about?"

"Didn't see any, but figured that Fi and I would get back to camp before we found out."

Rick put his hand on Shane's arm. "Are you alright? I mean with Fi being here and all. "

"I'm fine. I'm glad she's safe."

"As am I." He looked around the camp. "Now we just have to figure out who she will stay with. I guess she could share a tent with Carol and Sophia."

"No, Rick. She is my problem. I'm responsible for her. I saved her life, so I think I have a say in this. She'll stay with me." Rick was surprised by the firm set of Shane's jaw, knowing he would not back down.

"If it is ok with Fi, then it is ok with me." Rick patted his friend's shoulder. "I haven't forgotten how it was with you two. Just be easy on her and give her time. I won't have her hurt."

"It's not her that you need to worry about. I have no intention of hurting her. I'll risk my life to protect what is mine just like I did for your family."

"I understand," Rick forced his friend to look at him. "The problem is she is not yours, not yet. As we both well know our Fi has a mind of her own."

After eating and changing into some fresh clothes provided by Lori, Fiona felt much better and just wanted to find a place to rest. Rick came over to where she was and sat down beside her. Taking her hands in his, he gave her a warm smile. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better, Rick. You have a wonderful family."

"Thank you. I like to think so. How about you? Shane tells me you never married."

"Nope. I'm sure he also told you that I devoted myself to my work as a social worker. I had no time for a personal life."

"Yeah, you always did have a passion for the under dog."

"Like you, my friend."

"I'm not sure if you know how hurt Shane was when you left."

She looked down. "I didn't until today."

"He cared deeply for you and it has always been a sore point with him that you said good bye to me and not him."

Shifting in her seat, Fiona met Rick's gaze.

"I cared for him too, but I just couldn't face him. I knew he would try to stop me."

"Well, that was then and this is now. Shane wants you to stay with him as we have a shortage on sleeping quarters. He considers you as his responsibility since he saved your life. I told him that I would only agree to it if you did."

Fiona looked away, her independent spirit wanting to refuse, but even she could see the sense in it. "Alright, Rick. It's fine with me. I'll do as Shane thinks best."

"Good. I'm glad we agree on something." said Shane from behind them. "Now, Rick, I think I should take our guest to where she will be sleeping. I think she could use some rest."

Fiona hugged Rick tightly and then followed Shane to his tent. He showed her where he had placed a sleeping bag and a couple of pillows and blankets on the other side across from where he slept. He noticed her discomfort, and he put a hand under her chin. "Fi, I am only doing this for your own good. I want to protect you and take care of you. I don't expect anything in return."

She nodded to him, and Shane kissed her on the forehead telling her to get some rest while he went to talk over some things with Rick. She crawled into her sleeping bag and fell asleep as soon as her head hit her pillow.


	2. Chapter 2

Fiona woke to the sound of a man and woman arguing not far from where she lay. She would know Shane's voice anywhere and she unzipped the door of the tent to see what was going on. Shane and Lori stood a short distance away and both were angry as well as...a certain amount of shame and guilt showing on their faces. The realization that these were the actions of two people who had been lovers hit Fiona like a tidal wave that swept away everything away. Shane turned to see Fiona staring out of the tent at them, and he cursed as he saw the look of reproach on Fiona' s face. He pushed away from Lori and headed toward his tent, knowing and dreading the explaining he had to do to someone he still cared about more than he wanted to admit to himself.

Fiona pulled on her jeans and was starting to pull on her boots, when she heard Shane's approach. He stepped in and took a seat next to her. "Fi, whatever you think you saw..."

"What I know I saw...Shane." She shook her head at him in disgust, "How could you...Lori is your best friend's wife. I'm not stupid...I've been trained to interpret people's emotions and actions. I've seen pretty much everything in my line of work and the both of you make me sick. Does Rick know?"

Shane shook his head. "No, he doesn't. " Only the bleakness in his eyes stopped her from slapping his face as he reached for her. "Fi, can't I at least explain what happened. It didn't happen the way you think. I saved your life...doesn't that give me any right for you to hear what I have to say."

Sitting back stiffly, she pushed away his hands. "I'll listen, but don't touch me. I don't want your hands on me."

As Shane explained Rick's gunshot wound and the conditions of the hospital, and the helplessness he felt at not being able to help his friend who appeared to be dead, Fiona started to soften a little. He told her that he had barricaded Rick in his room so that the Walkers wouldn't be able to feed off his corpse, and then gone to get Lori and Carl to safety. Grieving together for a man that Lori and Shane had both loved and thought dead, the two had fallen into an affair. Once Rick had returned, the affair had ceased, but both parties still felt a strong sense of guilt. Shane had tried to talk Lori into both of them going to Rick and confessing to what had happened, but she refused to out of fear of how Rick would react. Now, she treated Shane with contempt and ostracized him. On top of the guilt and remorse he already felt, this was almost too much for Shane to bear. Fiona could tell that Shane truly regretted what he had done and she couldn't add to the burden he already carried by treating him with scorn.

"Shane." She touched his hand. "I'm sorry. I was just so concerned about Rick and I couldn't believe that you would betray him like that. What you went through was extremely difficult, what we have all gone through. I can't judge you for something that any of us might have done in your shoes, or in the midst of this hell we are all now living."

Shane traced her jaw with his finger. "Fi, I wish to God it had never happened. We never would have done it if we had known Rick was still alive, if I had known that you were going to come back into my life..." He leaned over to kiss her and she backed away.

"I can't, Shane. Even though I understand the situation with you and Lori, I can't allow myself to become involved with you. I can't help the way I feel anymore than you could when you slept with your friend's wife."

"You know, Fi, when you left, I wanted to die. I loved you, and I thought you loved me. " He lowered his head, trying to contain himself. "You tore out my heart and didn't seem to care. You were my first love and a man doesn't recover from that. " He lifted eyes to her that were filled with pain and reached into her soul. "Did you ever care? Did you ever think of me while you were gone?"

Moving herself up behind him, Shane felt Fiona lean her head against his back and her arms creep about his waist, drawing him closer to her. "I always loved you, Shane, but I knew you wouldn't let me go. I had to get away from my father and I had to do it alone."

Upon hearing her words, he exhaled sharply. "You never gave me a chance. I would have gone with you."

She laughed softly. "You would never have been happy leaving King's County. You and Rick always belonged there and never had any desire to leave."

"Well, you were on your way back...Why?"

"I guess I missed something that I couldn't escape, no matter hard I tried. My roots have always been in King's County and it just took me a long time to realize that."

Despite her earlier protests, Shane turned and pulled her into his arms. She clung to him as long dormant emotions coursed through them both, and he drew her into a deep kiss. Rick's voice broke them out of their reverie.

"Shane, Fi, you guys had better come eat. We have to get ready to go. I want to get an early start so that we can reach the CDC before dawn. Pulling Fi up by the hand, Shane filled her in on the CDC, Center of Disease Control that Rick wanted to take the group to possible sanctuary. "I decided to back him even though I thought we should go to Fort Benning instead."

"Well, I am glad that you are supporting him. Rick has always had good instincts, and what do we have to lose." 

Hugging her to him, Shane shook his head. "A lot...Our very lives if he is wrong." If the group noticed the closeness between Shane and Fiona, they all remained quiet. After eating, the group began to pack up thing and prepare for traveling. Lori came up Fiona and drew her to the side. Shane was on the side directing the group along with Rick so he didn't see them.

"Fiona, I don't know what you think you know or..."

"Lori, you don't own me any explanation. " She laid her hand on Lori's shoulder reassuringly. "I'm not judging either of you and no one will find out from me. I really do think that you should come clean with Rick before he figures it out on his own, which he eventually will."

"I want to, but I'm afraid of how he will react."

"Do you love him, Lori?"

"Of course," Lori muttered.

"Then have faith in his love for you. One thing I know about Rick is that he respects honestly and can forgive almost anything."

Lori nodded. "I'll think about it."

"Good. And if you need to talk, I am here."

Shuffling her feet, Lori hesitated. "You know, Fiona, Shane has never gotten over you. Do you still care for him?"

Fiona frowned. "Yes, I do. However I really don't want to talk about my relationship with Shane, or lack thereof. I'm not sure of anything right now, but that I want the best for both Shane and Rick and I want us all to survive."

The two women heard their names being called, and Fiona headed over to where Shane was standing . He looked somberly at her and took her hand. "Is everything alright between you and Lori?" Fiona squeezed his fingers.

"Yes, we just had a little talk. I told her she had nothing to worry about from me and that she should come clean with Rick."

"Good. We had better get the tent and other stuff packed up. Will you ride with me?"

"Of course. I planned to."

"Well, I wanted to give you a choice."

"I know, Shane and I appreciate that."

After everything was packed up and placed on the vehicles, Fiona climbed into the passenger seat of Shane's Jeep and he pulled in behind the other vehicles. Once everyone pulled onto the road, the ragtag caravan was on it's way to the CDC.


	3. Chapter 3

The site of the CDC was littered with bodies and Fiona saw the doubt in Shane's eyes as he picked up his gun and gestured her to stay close to him. They caught up to Rick and the others and started up to the entrances to the CDC which were all closed. One of the group called out a warning about Walkers approaching, and Shane pulled Fiona behind him. The men began shooting at the Walkers and after disposing of the ones momentarily, they all started banging on the doors. Shane had to grab Daryl to keep him from attacking Rick for dragging them there, and Rick started yelling at the camera begging whoever was inside to let them in. Suddenly the door to the entrance opened and a bright light shone, almost blinding them all. Fiona grabbed onto Rick's arm, since he was closest to her, and they all waited for the solitary man who approached them.

The man introduced himself as Dr. Edwin Jenner and in answer to Rick's question about where everyone else was, he stated that he was the only one left. Rick looked at Fiona and she could see the uncertainty in his expression. He smiled at her as she squeezed his arm in reassurance. Jenner told them that they could stay if they all submitted to blood tests to make sure that none of them were infected. After realizing that everyone in the group was weak from hunger, after doing the blood tests, Jenner led them to the cafeteria where they were provided with food and alcohol. Fiona was laughing with Lori and preparing to sit by her, when she felt Shane's hand on the small of her back. She could feel his breath on her neck as he whispered in her ear. "Fi, sit by me. I'd like you by me." She nodded and let him lead her to a seat next to his. The conversation was lively as the food and drink was consumed. The women, with the exception of Andrea went lighter with the alcohol than the men. Suddenly, Shane interrupted the flow of talk with a direct challenge to Jenner. "So when are you going to tell us what the hell happened here?" Others protested that the timing was off, but Jenner went ahead and answered his question. He explained that while some had fled, others had "opted out" rather than face what was outside the doors of the CDC. He had stayed because he thought that he could still do some good. Shane received several hard looks, as his question and the answer to it had put everyone in a more somber mood. Even though Fiona felt his question was in bad taste as to the timing, she too had wondered the answer and Shane was always one to come directly to the point. She put her hand over his and he smiled briefly at her action. Jenner then stood up and directed everyone to their rooms and the showers, telling to conserve on energy. Shane took Fiona aside as the rest of the group started for their destinations.

"Fiona, I'd like you to stay with me. I'd feel better knowing you were close enough for me to protect in case anything goes down. "

She touched his cheek and smiled. "Shane, that's fine. I defer to your judgement in the protection department. I am more versed in the psychological and sociological area."

He kissed her forehead and they followed after the rest of the group as they were led to their accommodations. The room they were given had a couch and a bed. Shane volunteered for the couch. Gathering her shower supplies together, Fiona told Shane that she was going to the shower and then to the recreation room to explore a bit. "If you go exploring, take Lori or Carol with you. I don't want you by yourself." She laughed and reassured him she would.

After enjoying a nice hot shower, Fiona ran into Lori and they shared a bottle of wine as they went into the recreation room where they found Carol with Sophia and Carl. Carol took the two children to bed and Lori and Fiona sat talking and laughing for a while. They told each other about their backgrounds and lives leading up to this point. Fiona then excused herself and told Lori she was going to go back to her room. On the way out, she heard a sound from a room nearby. She opened the door to find Rick sitting on the floor with a bottle of liquor in his hand. His eyes were red rimmed and it was obvious he was upset. "Rick, what's going on?"

She knelt down next to him and framed his face in her hands. He pulled away from her, shaking his head. "It's hopeless, Fiona. I can't do this anymore. I've just been fooling myself. I can't lead this group and make them think that there is going to be a happy ending when I know better. Look at what I've done bringing all of you here. There's only one doctor left and no cure in sight. Maybe I should have listened to Shane."

Seeing the devastation on his face, Fiona took him into her arms and held him. At first he held on loosely, and then his grip tightened on her. "Rick, you are the only one capable of leading this group. Thanks to you we are all alive. You have a nobility of mind and soul that makes you the obvious choice. You have a moral code that you hold to regardless of the consequences. We need that in this new world of horror and insanity. I completely trust your judgement."

Rick pulled her closer to him and breathed in the clean scent of her freshly washed hair. "Lori and Shane doubt my decisions although they do end up supporting them in the end. Fi, I'm glad you are with us. It means a lot knowing that at least you have faith in me. "

"The others have faith in you, Rick. We are all just scared and uncertain of what the future is."

They sat quietly in each other's arms for a moment, and then Rick caressed her cheek. "Did you ever tell Shane about what happened between us before you left town."

"No, Rick. I don't want him to know. It would just hurt him. It's in the past."

"Do you ever wonder what would have happened if you had never left?" He pressed his lips to hers and for a moment she found herself responding before she pushed him away."

"Rick, you are drunk and need to go to bed." Pulling him into a standing position, Fiona helped him to his room. After closing the door behind him, she turned to find Shane standing against the wall, staring at her. He was in little better condition than his best friend and she could tell he wasn't in a good mood.

"So this is what you were doing away so long. I was worried so I came looking for you and I find you with Rick."

She started to walk away from him and headed toward their room. She didn't feel inclined to deal with his anger and just wanted to rest. Shane followed her and slammed the door behind him as they entered the room. "Shane, I want to go to sleep. Like Rick, you are drunk and I frankly don't want to talk to you right now."

"Well, you are going to listen to what I have to say. You owe me that after the way you left me without any word or explanation. You told Rick, but you couldn't even tell me. We were lovers and I wanted to marry you."

"Shane, I already told you that I left because I needed a fresh start. I had to get away from my father."

"You didn't even talk to me when you came back for his funeral. Rick told me that you left right after the services. I didn't even know you were there since you stood a distance away. It's always Rick you went to. I was the one who loved you and I had thought you felt the same."

She stood up and started to head for the door when Shane stopped her, shoving her up against the wall. "You aren't going anywhere, Fi. I want to know why you really left. You never told me but Rick knew. You broke my heart when you left and it killed me that you trusted Rick but not me. I want you to tell me the truth."

Fiona struggled against his hold, but he wouldn't release her. "Tell me. Did your father do something to you?"

The memories from her childhood all came flashing back and Fiona lashed out and scratched his throat, causing Shane to gasp and fall away from her in shock. She curled up in a ball on the floor and began sobbing. "Fi, it's alright. You are safe. I'm not going let anyone hurt you. Despite the fact she had just scratched him, Shane gathered her into his arms and held her until she quieted.

"I'm sorry for hurting you, Shane." He kissed her hair. She sighed and rested her head on his chest. "It started when Mother died and he started coming into my room. I managed to evade him but I knew it was only a matter of time. I didn't tell you because I knew you would want to kill him. I didn't want to ruin your life for a man like that. Rick didn't actually know details but he knew something was wrong. He helped me get out of town."

Shane was filled with anger at what Fiona had suffered at the hands of her father. She was right that he would have probably killed him. "I'm sorry, darlin. If I had known, I would have found some way to protect you."

She shook her head. "There was nothing you could have done against the good Judge Cahill. He would have ruined your life as well as mine."

"So that's why you went into social work."

"Yes, and it did help me heal somewhat. Each time I helped someone escape from their abuser I felt like I struck a blow against my father." She touched the scratches on his neck. "I'm glad you know. I want you to know that I never wanted to hurt you. I had to get away."

"I'm sorry I couldn't help you, Fi."

"You are helping me now. " She pressed her lips to his, and he picked her up in his arms and carried her to the bed. "Are you sure?" She nodded and began pulling at his belt, tracing kisses across his chest. They helped relieve each other of their clothes and spent the next few hours making up for lost time.


End file.
